


Roots

by Eggtachi



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, M/M, Mythical Beings & Creatures
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-21
Updated: 2020-08-22
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:07:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,603
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26038420
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eggtachi/pseuds/Eggtachi
Summary: Izuna is tired of being stuck in the small settlement that the Uchiha clan calls home. No one else lives nearby. He isn't allowed down the mountain the elders claim is dangerous, or into the forest that the elders claim is haunted by magical creatures.Danger on the mountain may be real, but creatures half human? Those are stories to keep kids well within the village...right?Forests are alive and once they grow their roots they often refuse to let go.
Relationships: Senju Butsuma/Uchiha Tajima (implied), Senju Hashirama/Uchiha Izuna
Comments: 7
Kudos: 35





	1. Chapter 1

"Never go into the woods at night." Izuna's father, Tajima, told him that every night along with tales of monsters and demons that haunted young children's dreams more than the forest their lonely settlement bordered. He never listened to the old man's stories. He wished he had.

Izuna pressed himself further back against the inside of the small rotten log. His hand covered his mouth to muffle what little breath he took as a long, spindly leg punctured the earth at its entrance.

An explosion of splintering wood drowned out the terrified squeak. Both piercing legs just narrowly missed their target though the naked arms of a woman did not, pinning his trembling form down against the forest floor.

The face that leaned in could barely pass for a woman with its black, circular eyes and horrific bulging mandibles of flesh where the cheeks should have been. The long, black hair felt sticky, spilling over its shoulder down onto him.

It spoke something in a language he didn't fully understand, though he had the distinct feeling it was insulting him. And it's mandibles snapped at him, close enough to feel the air rushing across his face. Tears erupted in his eyes against his will and the gravity of death sank low into the pit of his stomach dragging his entire body down with it.

Before it could strike, however, roots tore through the soil, slamming into the monster with enough force to tip it over onto its back before encasing him in a kind of dome.

He could hear hooves against the earth, shouts in that same language; he could see the blur of flickering light through the cracks between the roots.

There was an ungodly shriek coupled with the sound of liquid spraying that made him physically sick; then ringing silence only broken by him keeling over to wretch, gagging on his tears while his hand fisted the grass below him to ground himself.

The roots retracted and he looked up to see who had saved him. The faces of two boys about his age stared back at him. They were tall due to their body being that of a horse from the hips down.

One of them held the lantern up, staring down at him with piercing red eyes and a peeved expression, his white hair gaining an orange tint from the flame. The other boy had brown hair in a kind of bowl cut, the expression in his brown eyes was much kinder.

"You are okay, yes?" The brown-haired boy asked, reaching out his hand. Izuna didn't answer. His brain was still trying to process what had happened, what had almost happened. The other boy grunted and rolled his eyes, turning and walking away from them.

"He's lucky to even be alive. What kind of idiot trespasses on a hungry jorougumo's territory? If we had not heard it swearing at you, you would be it's next meal." Izuna's shriek cut off the end of his sentence as the severed head of the creature was thrown down in front of him, his body scrambling backwards as though it were still snapping at him.

The brown-haired boy gave the other a chastising look and said something in the strange language, a scolding of some sort given the tone. But Izuna was busy trying to stop the tears that rolled down his cheeks and gather breath in his heaving chest.

The boy turned his attention back to him and approached him with caution.

"I apologize for my brother. He is just concerned, it is dangerous for your kind here." His hand extended again. A smile spread across his face, kind and honest. Izuna felt his heart begin to pound as he hesitantly took the boy's hand. They had just saved him so they were on his side...right? The boy helped him stand. Looking him over and nodding approvingly.

"No injuries. Ah, Hashirama is my name, that's Tobirama, my little brother. You have a name, yes?" He asked, folding his hands back behind his head and giving him a closed-eyed smile. He supposed it wouldn't hurt to tell the boy his name...right? They had saved his life. He at least owed them his name didn't he?

"...Izuna." He replied.

"Izuna. Such a pretty name...ah, but we cannot stay here. Your kind is in danger here. We need to get you home." Hashirama's expression changed to something more serious and he suddenly looked much more mature. Maybe he was older than he initially thought. Izuna flushed at the compliment to his name.

"I will take you to the forest border. Tobirama, you can clean up here, yes?" When Hashirama turned he caught sight of the decapitated body, still twitching slightly. It made him gag and he began to wonder why the place didn't smell, though he wasn't sure he wanted an answer.

"Go. And you," Tobirama pointed at Izuna as he handed off the lantern, "you got lucky this time. Don't come back or I just might kill you myself." He threatened.

"Tobi!" The rest of the sentence was in the strange language. He was curious, but he didn't ask questions. Instead he allowed Hashirama to lead him away from his unpleasant brother. The forest was silent. Silent to the point that it felt deafening.

"...how old are you?" He broke the unbearable silence.

"Thirteen. Tobirama is twelve."

"Ah. You are the same age as my brother...and I am the same age as yours."

"Really? My brother knows many things. You must know a lot too. Does your kind have libraries? Places where you store the knowledge of many things?" Hashirama seemed excited that they were so close in age. Or maybe he was just excited to meet a human. He couldn't imagine anyone else ever went into the forest at night.

"We do...but I'm not as smart as my brother Madara. He knows a lot of things. Way more than I do."

"Ah but your brother's had many more days of living than you have. More days to learn many things. You shouldn't compare yourself to him. Compare yourself to the you of yesterday. Or the you of last week, last month, last year. No sense comparing yourself to someone who has existed longer to learn things, gives them an unfair advantage to you."

"I...I suppose that's true...thank you."

"Of course. Tell me, are there many of your kind? Or are you and your brother the only ones?" Hashirama wondered, looking over at him. He could practically feel the curiosity coming off him. He was so expressive. It was a bit refreshing honestly.

"What do you mean? Of course there's more of us. Well...at least I'm pretty sure there are. Father always leads a group of our farmers all the way down the mountain to trade with them everyday, and they come back with things we can't grow here. But father says I'm not allowed to leave the village until I turn thirty and have lots of experience in whichever work field I choose, and that's a long time from now."

"I see, I see. Do you still have blacksmiths? Silversmiths? Do you still have seamstresses?"

"What do you mean still?"

"Well, the last time we had contact with your settlement was thousands of years ago. Then a war happened and your kind was all but wiped out. Father told me you had probably gone extinct and it made me very sad. But now I know you are still here!" He whinnied. Izuna flushed. Hashirama was so open, and his voice was nice to listen to. He liked talking to him much more than Madara too. But he could see the edge of the woods now, he didn't want to leave. He wanted to keep talking with Hashirama. He wanted to learn more about him, about his kind.

"We are almost to your home. I never go this far from the tribe usually. It's very exciting."

"Really? Well...would you maybe want to explore that excitement some more?" He offered shyly. Hashirama looked down at him and let out a braying chuckle.

"Are you offering to be friends with me? That makes me very happy. But I cannot just come to the border all the time. How about I send you a signal on the nights I will be able to make it to the border yes?"

"A signal? What kind of signal?"

"I have many friends in the forests. I will tell the owls to call early, just before dusk. Then you will know." Hashirama smiled down at him, his human half practically trembling with the prospect of meeting again. And he was excited too. Despite the terror he had experienced earlier, that all felt distant and unimportant now. Honestly the entire encounter with...whatever the other boy had called it, felt like a distant dream now. A simple nightmare. Nothing more.

"I'll listen for it then." He smiled back. Hashirama nodded and stopped where the brush thinned.

"This is as far as I can go. Be good and go to bed. We will talk another night. Promise no more wandering into the forest, yes?" He reached out and tousled Izuna's hair, laughing when he tried to swat the hand away.

"Alright." Izuna pouted but did as he was told, sneaking back into his room with ease. He immediately felt a sense of loss and a yearning to go back to the forest again. Despite the terror that had been the most adventure he had ever experienced. But he had promised his new friend and he would keep it. For now. He was tied to that forest now, he knew it. It was his one escape from the repetition of the mundane. He wasn't about to just let that go.

Sleep didn't come easy as that yearning refused to dwindle; and even when his eyes finally shut, his dreams were filled with untamed wilderness just waiting to be explored. He would go back. Not now, but at some point. He had to go back. No matter what price he had to pay.


	2. Chapter 2

One week passed since his misadventure in the woods, but Izuna left himself no time to be lonely, more than keeping himself occupied in the clan's extensive library. The fear of his sudden reading habit drawing questions from his father got quite quickly put to rest when Tajima firmly declared he didn't care what miracle caused it since he was "finally taking his studies seriously". His brother was also a non-issue, simply happy that he finally had a hobby other than making mischief (that he would then inevitably have to bail him out of).

Despite how often the adults around him loved to tell tales of the horrible beasts, the library held precious little insight. The lack of information only became more suspicious upon his failure to find even one story about centaurs. Izuna had never paid attention to the stories of the elders, but he knew for a fact they mentioned centaurs to some capacity in almost every single one. Indeed the sheer number of times he heard it was the only reason he remembered the word to begin with. Considering his complete and utter lack of listening skills, the number had to be rather considerable.

Asking his father was out of the question, his brother too. Actually most of the adults he could think of would probably question him. Izuna groaned, mussing up his hair as he tried to wrack his brain for an answer. He supposed he could risk going to grandpa Roshi, he seemed to keep to himself. He supposed be had no choice, his options were severely limited.

Houses in the compound generally all looked the same, it was easy for him to forget who lived where. It took him nearly an hour to figure out where the man lived. And he wasn't even sure if he was home. For all he knew he was out playing boring games of shogi or go with the other elders. To his pleasant surprise, grandpa Roshi was home and opened the door when he knocked. He seemed understandably suspicious of the visit, Izuna had a reputation after all, and even with a blind left eye his gaze felt far too intense, like he could see things Izuna couldn't.

"Izuna. This is a surprise. What brings you here?"

"I'm not here to cause trouble, promise. I'm just looking for answers...answers without being questioned." He gives the man his best pleading look, hoping it wasn't a waste coming here.

Grandpa Roshi considered him for a moment, probably judging whether or not his promise was genuine. He did mean it. He'd been good recently. But would that be enough?

"Alright, you can come in," Izuna's face lit up, "if you play a game of shogi with me." He added. Izuna's face fell immediately into a pout. The pout didn't last long, turning to confusion when grandpa Roshi began to laugh.

"You change expressions so quickly. Come in." He welcomed Izuna inside, and he followed obediently.

"So, what are your questions, son?" He asked as they entered the kitchen. He nodded for Izuna to sit at the table, so he did.

"Well...it's about those stories you like to tell us. About the beasts that live in the woods."

"What about the stories?"

"Well...I was wondering why there's so little information in the library since you talk about them so much. Surely someone has it written down."

"Ah, some things are best left as oral tradition. It keeps a certain purity to it." The reasoning didn't really make sense, then again a lot of things the elders said didn't make sense to him so he supposed this was just one of those things he would understand once he got older. Madara said that to him a lot.

"I was also wondering if you could tell me about centaurs. I couldn't find anything in the library about them at all." Grandpa Roshi's face darkened upon hearing the request and he sat down across from him, hands folded on his lap.

"Dreadful creatures. Tyrants. They rule over the forest with an iron fist and silence all who oppose them." His tone was grave, like he were recounting a tragedy.

"Our clan used to live in the forest, long, long before even my generation was conceived. Back then, our brave leader Indra questioner the rule of the centaur in charge, a bloodthirsty beast called Asura. He decreed is traitors, and centaur began to hunt and kill our kind for sport and our numbers dwindled to under a hundred of us left." Izuna gaped at this new information and dread settled in his stomach like a lead weight. Hashirama seemed so kind. His brother maybe not so much, but both of them had actively saved his life. And they let him go. Surely if they hunted humans for sport they wouldn't just let him walk away...right?

"Surely there were one or two of them who opposed it. They couldn't all be evil."

"But they are. They preyed upon us, playing a sick game of cat and mouse with what was once their gifts."

"Gifts? What kind of gifts?"

"Powerful charm magic. Powerful enough to manipulate the eyes and ears. They can make you see things, hear things. They lure you into a false sense of security and then strike. Truly dreadful creatures." The sense of dread was only growing, weighing him down more and more. He started to feel squeamish, but he tried not to show it.

"What about our other senses? Could they manipulate those too? Could they makes us smell or feel things that aren't there?" Grandpa Roshi shook his head in response. A shudder flawed it's way up his spine to sit as tension on his shoulders. He hadn't smelled anything when that creature died. But he had felt the log, felt it shatter, felt hands pinning him down. But what if that was the illusion? What if it was Hashirama or his brother was the one pinning him down. What if they were making him see those things?

"Would a centaur ever let a human go if they caught them?"

"Possibly, if they were particularly sadistic. Their charm magic also makes humans see them as non-threatening, beautiful even. It makes them want to go back and see them again." Izuna paled. So his longing to go back was from charm magic?

He did want to go back. He did want to see Hashirama again. But was that the only reason he wanted to go back? Was that longing he had felt just the result of being charmed? That couldn't be right. He wanted to go back for the freedom he had felt, before the monster had attacked, he wanted to go back for the adventure. Hashirama was just a bonus. He wasn't that important. Right? Right.

"But...these are just stories right? There aren't really bloodthirsty creatures in the woods right? Just the usual wild animals like foxes and bears."

"These creatures absolutely exist. They stay hidden in the deeper parts of the forest, cowardly beasts for all their supposed might. But there is evil in those woods. Evil that could destroy the world if unleashed. That is why our ancestors put up a barrier. A barrier to keep the evil in that forest for good. You can see one of the cornerstones of the barrier from the edge of our village, the large stone pillar with rope and spell tags wrapped around it. The others..." Izuna didn't catch the rest of the sentence. His mind was too busy replaying Hashirama's words. "This is as far as I can go." He felt sick.

"I see. Thank you very much grandpa Roshi...I suppose I owe you a game of shogi now."

"I was merely teasing. If you really want to stay I can teach you some things about the game, but you look like you'd better off having some time to think."

"Yeah...I think...I think I'm going to go for a walk. Thank you again." He stood, bowing to him before leaving the house. He wandered the compound streets aimlessly, trapped in his own mind, replaying the night over and over again.

Even with all his doubts, Hashirama couldn't be evil. He just couldn't. He saved his life. He walked him back. That wasn't evil. The stories had been passed down for generations. Even grandpa Roshi said it was long before his time. And he was really old, like seventy. So maybe they had changed? Maybe it was just the leader who was evil. That had to be it. The leader was evil but now they have a good leader. Hashirama was his friend. He wouldn't make friends with someone evil.

Izuna came out of his thoughts to find that he had wandered to the edge of the town that overlooked the stone like grandpa Roshi had said. Even with the setting sun he could see the large pillar, a jutting grey blade amongst the green. He couldn't make out any charms on it, but he could see the large rope hung around the base.

An owl hooted. Hashirama was calling him.

Did he want to go though? After what he had learned? But what if they were wrong? What if the centaur had changed? Father always told him to expect change. He always told him to get information from the source. There wasn't a more direct source for centaur information than talking to one of them. Hashirama would surely be able to put that doubt to rest. Mind made up, he made his way home.

Night couldn't fall quickly enough, his brother and his father were asleep by ten, leaving him ample time to make his great escape into the woods. Although his sense of direction was a bit questionable, he would never forget the path he took that night.

He stood by the tree where Hashirama had left him. He didn't have to wait long before he could see the glow of a dim lantern from deeper in the forest. Hashirama smiled at him, and he felt his anxiety melt away. He didn't need to ask him anything. There was no way he was evil.

"I missed you, friend Izuna." He hung the lantern from a branch.

"I missed you too."

"What has friend Izuna been doing?"

"Studying. I want to learn many things like you said."

"Splendid! Friend Izuna will definitely learn many things. Friend Izuna is very smart." He praised, taking hold of his hands. Despite their similarity in age, Hashirama's hands were much larger than his own. There was an odd sort of comfort in that.

"What about you, Hashirama? What have you been doing?"

"Lots of learning. Many challenges when becoming a leader. Father says there is promise, but I have a long way to go. Must practice many languages. Communication is important, important for solving problems and making friends like friend Izuna." His words were almost as expressive as his gestures. Though as fun as it was for Izuna to watch him, he missed the warmth of his hands.

"I think you'll make a good leader. You already know so many things. And you're good, not evil."

"Ah, it means much to me that friend Izuna thinks so. There are struggles in the forest. Evil like friend Izuna said. But there is hope. Always hope." He nodded firmly. He sounded so mature, looked so mature, when he was serious.

"What's that on your belt?" Izuna pointed at the small drawstring bags on his...hip?...shoulder? He wasn't really sure how the anatomy fit together and he didn't want to ask.

"Oh! Right!" Upon closer inspection, one bag was larger than the other and both seemed to be made of leather. The smaller bag was held out to him.

"A gift." He proclaimed. Izuna flushed. A gift?

"But...I didn't get you anything."

"It matters not. Gifts do not need to be exchanged. They can just be given. Take it." The insistence made him look a bit cute. Holding out the bag with an excitement in his eyes.

Izuna took the pouch and opened it. Inside were large blackberries. Despite blackberry season being a few months away these were ripe.

"How did you get these?" He asked, taking one out and popping it into his mouth, savoring the flavor.

"House for plants keeps plants warm. Sometimes it bear fruits earlier. They are good, yes?"

"Very. I love blackberries. They're my favorite."

"Good! Ah, in the other bag is a game. Does friend Izuna know how to play marbles?"

"Marbles? No. Big brother used to play it with some of the other kids but I was too young. I honestly forgot about the game."

"Friend Izuna would like to learn yes?"

"You'll teach me?" Izuna's eyes lit up. Hashirama nodded his head, his hoof scraping at the dirt.

"Follow. Much easer on dirt. Dirt is not too far. Still in the safe area for your kind." He beckoned, taking the lantern. Izuna glanced back at his village before following Hashirama further into the woods.

The patch of dirt he spoke of was still well in sight of the village. The only needed walk a little ways to the left. Hashirama took a stick and drew a circle on the ground, his horse body laying down. Izuna sat across from him, watching him dump marbles into the circle, gathering all the small ones in the middle, their shadows elongated by the lantern.

"This is a shooter marble. Try hitting small marbles out of the ring, like this." He made a fist, tucking the edge of his thumb beneath his middle finger, the large marble resting on his curled index. A flick of his thumb sent the marble spinning into the center, scattering the smaller marbles.

"Small marbles mean points. Score points and shoot again. Friend Izuna try now." He handed Izuna the other large marble. Izuna took aim, but it fell out of his hand before he could flick it. Pouting, he tried again, this time keeping it in hand only for it to pop up into the air. Hashirama's muted laugh sounded like a whinny and a flush spread across his face.

"Come, learning can be faster with help." He offered his hand. Izuna scooted around the ring to sit next to him. More than anything he just wanted to feel the warmth of his hands again.

Hashirama wrapper his hands around his smaller one, gentle movements forming it into the proper shape. The warmth on his hands quickly spread to his chest, heart racing.

He flicked the marble, watching it shoot out and hitting several marbles out of the way. He swore Hashirama's hands lingered just a second longer than they had to.

"Splendid!" A warm hand on his head, a feeling he leaned into and nearly purred when he rubbed small circles against his scalp. But the hand was gone all too soon.

"My turn again." Hashirama reaches for his marble and took aim. He fired, knocking two(2) small marbles out of the ring. It meant he could go again.

Izuna watched his expression as he concentrated. So focused, attentive. What would it feel like to be looked at with such an intense gaze? Curiosity pulled at his instincts but he pushed it back, not wanting to ruin this moment. How could eyes so rich and deep, look so full of light?

"Friend Izuna?" Hashirama waved a hand in front of his face.

"Huh? O-oh! Sorry. Could you...show me how to do it again?" Just so he could learn. That was all. Hashirama didn't ask any questions, only smiled and took his hand.

Fewer words exchanged while the game proceeded, but words felt unnecessary when they were sitting so close. Asking for help, declaring turns, congratulations for scoring. Izuna snacked on the blackberries as they played, offering them to Hashirama several times but he always refused. One-by-one he emptied the bag. It wasn't like he could take it home. His father might find it.

"It's nearly time for friend Izuna to be going. Twilight is breaking soon." He looked just as reluctant as Izuna felt. He didn't want to leave. They were having so much fun.

"Just one more game?"

"No. Friend Izuna must get home. Time for games will come again. But not now. Later. With more berries. Promise." Hand extended, pinky held out in offer. Izuna pouted, but he'd take what he could get. He hooked his pinky around Hashirama's.

"Promise?"

"Promise. Friend Izuna will have looking forward to do."

"Yeah. Something to look forward to."

Izuna left the forest, leaving a piece of his heart with it. The cold hand of loneliness and loss gripping his chest sent him on high alert once more. He'd become complacent at just the sight of his friend. Was it really charm magic? Was Hashirama really his friend? Or was he toying with him? His body felt cold in the shadow of loneliness, a chill that let fear take hold.

Protection. He needed protection. Or at the very least some way to know the truth. The library had to have something on the topic. Something in their history. He would comb the entire place word by word if he had to.

A world shaken and split in two, his heart would find no peace until he could identify friend from foe. He just hoped his trust wouldn't be shattered in the process.


End file.
